Start Your Day Right With These 5 Highly Productive Habits

pcmag.com:

Part of being organized is creating habits that help us get the most out of every day. When we rely on habits (which we do without thinking) rather than deliberate actions that require conscious effort, we free up our brains for more important stuff. 

Morning is an ideal time for getting into habits that can lead to a more productive day. Here are five things you can do early in the day, every day, to get more done.

After you wake up, while sleep is still fresh on your mind, check how much you slept the night before. If you wear a fitness tracker or smartwatch that has a sleep-tracking function, look at your data. If not, estimate it based on the time you went to bed.

People need sufficient sleep to be able to focus and be their most productive. "Sufficient" is a relative word and varies by individual. Not getting enough sleep takes a serious toll on performance. One bad night's sleep isn't going to ruin you, but several days in a row will. While everyone has unique sleep needs, research shows that for most people getting six hours or less of sleep, night after night, is not enough. (Parents of small children: I'm sorry.) If you aren't sure how much sleep you need, give yourself enough time in bed each night to get at least eight hours of sleep and, based on how you feel, adjust it from there.

If you're not getting enough sleep, how can you fix it? Most people can't simply sleep later because they have to wake up at a fixed time to prepare for work. Instead, you'll have to go to bed earlier. Figure out by what time you'd have to be in bed to get a solid eight hours of sleep, and then set an alarm to remind yourself to go to bed. iPhones have a built-in feature that does exactly that. For example, if you need to wake up